FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: England's semi-final preparations unaffected despite last-minute venue change

Kolkata: Despite the last-minute decision to shift the FIFA U-17 World Cup semi-final from Guwahati to Kolkata, England on Tuesday said their preparations were not hampered one bit.

The Young Lions will take on three-time champions Brazil in the marquee last-four clash at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Wednesday.

The match was originally supposed to take place at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati but incessant rain forced FIFA to shift the game to Kolkata which will also host the final on Saturday.

“We have not faced any problems due to last-minute travel changes. The players are well rested and ready to take the field tomorrow,” an England team official told IANS on the sidelines of their practice session here.

Asked whether the team trained in Guwahati on Monday or not, the official said: “Yes, the team did train in Guwahati. We flew in here around midnight yesterday.”

In an official media release, FIFA said on Monday: “Despite the great efforts by all involved parties, including the authorities of Guwahati, to preserve the pitch, FIFA has taken this decision following consultations with both teams in order to safeguard the players’ health and to ensure the best playing conditions.”

England and Brazil are both hot favourites to win the crown owing to their red-hot form throughout the tournament.

This will be the third face-off between the two nations in tournament history. While England triumphed 2-1 in South Korea in 2007, Brazil won 1-0 in Chile in 2015.